Additionally, the Broncos released 12-year long snapper Lonie Paxton and placed defensive end Jason Hunter on injured reserve.

The Broncos roster now has 75 players. The team will make 22 more roster moves on Friday. Linebacker D.J. Williams and tight end Virgil Green are expected to be moved to the reserved/suspended list.

The biggest surprise was Paxton. He has been an NFL longsnapper for 12 years, the first nine with New England where he earned three Super Bowl rings. Paxton was scheduled to make the veteran minimum salary of $925,000 so it doesn’t appear to be a financial decision. The Broncos believe undrafted rookie Aaron Brewer is more athletic and will be able to get downfield to make plays in coverage.

Brewer had 15 special teams tackles in 50 games at San Diego State. He had 18 snaps during the first two preseason games — 12 on long snaps to punter Britton Colquitt and six on field goals and extra points.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.